World Fantasy Award winners take home "The Howard," a statuette depicting H.P. Lovecraft

Lovers of fantasy, sci-fi, and horror can get a taste of what’s in store at the upcoming 2012 World Fantasy Convention with the recent release of the 2012 World Fantasy Awards shortlist.

Canadian nominees include Welsh-Canadian writer and poet Jo Walton, who received a nod for Among Others (Tor) in the novel category; Canadian-Australian short fiction writer and graphic designer Lisa Hannett, who was nominated for Bluegrass Symphony (Ticonderoga Publications) in the collection category; and ChiZine Publications co-publishers Brett Alexander Savory and Sandra Kasturi, who will duke it out with international sci-fi/fantasy heavyweights such as Jo Fletcher and Eric Lane for a special award recognizing professional contribution to the genre.

The awards cover nine categories of fantasy fiction published in 2011. Winners will be determined through a combination of member balloting and a panel of judges comprising authors John Berlyne, James P. Blaylock, Stephen Gallagher, Mary Kay Kare, and Jacques Post. The awards will be presented during the conference, which takes place Nov. 1“4 in Toronto.